Serbia · South Africa — One parish family
Serbian Orthodox cross

Sunninghill, South Africa

St Thomas Serbian Orthodox Church

Privacy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 29, 2026

St Thomas Serbian Orthodox Church respects your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our website.

Information We Collect

Analytics Data

When analytics is enabled, we use one website analytics provider at a time to understand how visitors use our website. Depending on the deployment configuration, that provider is either Google Analytics 4 or Umami. Analytics may collect:

  • Pages you visit and time spent on each page
  • Your general location (city/country level, not precise)
  • Device type, browser, and screen size
  • Referral source (how you found our website)

Google Analytics uses cookies to track this information. Umami is a lightweight analytics service that can operate with less personal data than traditional analytics platforms. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. We do not use analytics to capture the contents of contact-form messages.

Contact Forms

When you use our contact form, you may choose to send us:

  • Your name and email address
  • Any message content you provide

The contact form opens your email client with your details prefilled. We do not store that message on the website; we only receive it if you send the email from your own mail app. The website may record that a mail draft was opened or that the browser had to show a fallback message, but it does not log the message text itself.

Photos, Videos, and Parish Events

Our website and parish social channels include documentary photos and videos of real parish life: Divine Liturgy, feast days, Sunday School, cultural events, hospitality, charity work, and community gatherings. These images help tell the story of the parish, preserve parish history, and invite visitors into community life.

By attending public parish services or events where photography or filming is taking place, adult attendees acknowledge and consent that they may appear in general parish photos or videos used for non-commercial parish communication, including this website, parish announcements, and social media. Parents and guardians attending with children are responsible for telling the priest, Sunday School teacher, or photographer if a child in their care should not be photographed or published.

We do not intentionally publish a child's full name with a photograph without specific permission, and we avoid publishing private pastoral situations. If you want a photo or video of you or your child removed, blurred, or not used in future parish materials, contact us and we will respond reasonably and promptly, especially where children, safety, or pastoral sensitivity are involved.

Cookies and Local Storage

Our website may use the following browser storage features:

  • Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _gid), if Google Analytics is enabled: Track visitor behavior and site usage (expires after 2 years)
  • Theme preference local storage entry: Stores your light/dark mode preference in your browser
  • Third-party embeds: YouTube videos and Google Maps may set or use their own cookies when you interact with video embeds or directions links

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may limit some website functionality.

Your Rights

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of your personal information
  • Object to processing of your personal information
  • Ask us to remove, blur, or stop using a parish photo or video of you or a child in your care, where reasonably practical

To exercise these rights, contact us at serborthchurchsa@gmail.com or call +27 63 296 3862.

Data Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your personal information. Our website uses HTTPS encryption.

Third-Party Services

Our website uses the following third-party services:

Children's Privacy and Sunday School

Sunday School is part of parish life, so children may appear in general group photos from services and parish events. Under POPIA, children's personal information requires particular care. We ask parents and guardians to tell us if a child in their care should not appear on the website or parish social channels. We do not ask children to submit personal information through the website, and we do not intentionally identify children by full name in public captions without specific permission from a parent or guardian.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Significant changes will be communicated via the website.

Contact Us

For questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data: